SWEET REVENGE

Alpha Orion signaled for his troops to pull Declan to his feet. “You will keep your ring and place, Declan, but we must address the matter of your loyalty.

You knew I sought a daughter of Freyja yet said nothing to me of your sister, despite knowing the goddess’s blood flowed in her veins.

For that, you must be punished.” He hefted the axe he had.“No!” The yell tore from my lips, shrill with panic.

“You gave your word!” I went to step between them, but Tristan was faster. He caught me about the waist, hauling me backward until my shoulder blades smashed into his chest.

“He won’t kill him,” he murmured in my ear, breathing hot. “Once it is done, it will be done. Don’t get in the way.”

“Let me go!”

I resisted and fought, trying to slam my heels down on his boots, but he merely lifted me off my feet like a child. “Declan !” My brother stood straight-backed with his chin up. Accepting his fate.

Alpha Orion swung. The flat of the blade struck my brother in the shin, the sound of breaking bone ringing across the trees.

I yelled. Declan did not. My brother’s face grew deathly white, yet he emitted not a sound as he slumped to the ground, his hands locked into fists.

Alpha Orion fastened his axe back at his waist. “You will rejoin me when you can walk, understood?” “Yes, my lord,” Declan choked out. I clawed at Tristan’s arms, attempting to get to my brother.

Needing to help him. But Tristan would not let me go. Alpha Orion met my stare, eyes piercing into mine.

“You are a sought-after woman, warlock princess and a lycan With Philomela’s melodies, knowledge of you will travel fast and everyone will seek to possess you.

Many may strive to strike at those you care about to harm you.”

He paused. “My men will watch over your family to ensure nothing unfortunate should befall them.”

His words snatched the oxygen from my chest, my stomach dropping. It was no promise to protect my family—it was a threat to secure my compliance.

Given what he’d just done to Declan, there was no doubt in my mind that this man was capable of considerably worse if he was crossed, so I gave a firm nod of understanding.

No one moved. No one talked, the only sound was my brother’s raspy breaths of suffering. “I’ll be off, then,” Carspey stated, breaking the silence.

Going to his horse, he swiftly mounted. “Wouldn’t want Declan to beat me to a meeting with Eleanor’s father.” His laugh was harsh.

My rage boiled, and I cried, “Don’t you dare! You leave her be!” “Eleanor will make a fine mate ,” Carspey said with a chuckle.

To my right, Declan was crawling after Carspey. Was appealing for someone to lend him a horse. My brother, begging. “You have what you want,” he cried.

“You are rid of Andronika, paid with gold, you do not need Eleanor!” She is my mate. I would not stand for this.

Slamming my head back, I caught Tristan hard in the chin and he dropped me. The second my boots struck the ground, I clamped my fingers over the hot handle of his axe, pulling it from his hand.

Agony lanced up my arm as the flames licked over my skin, searing my flesh, and I screamed as I raised it over my head, fire kissing my cheek.

And then I tossed the weapon. It flipped end-over-end as it arced through the air, sparks trailing in its wake.

Embedded with a hefty thump in the back of Carspey ’s skull. I stared at the blazing axe in the back of my husband’s head.

Watched as he slowly crumpled and slipped off the side of the horse to land with a thump on the ground.

Only then did the axe go, leaving only blotches of brilliance across my vision. “You fool!” Alpha Orion shouted.

Tristan glanced at me, eyes full of amazement and despair. “What were you thinking?” “He deserved it,” I muttered. Carspey ’s hair was scorching, the fragrance unpleasant. “He’s a greedy, traitorous bastard the world is better off without.”

“How could you let that happen, Tristan?” Alpha Orion hissed, lunging at his son before coming up short.

“How could you let her disarm you?” “I didn’t think she’d do it.” Tristan gave a swift shake of his head.

“No one has ever tried it. No one is furious enough to touch Thor’s fire!” It came to me then that they weren’t angry I’d murdered Carspey.

They were outraged by that. The agony struck. Agony like nothing I’d ever experienced lanced up my arm and I looked down to find my wrist and the back of my hand red and burned, only my palm and fingers seemed free from the pain.

I started to turn my hand over, but Tristan’s fingers caught on my elbow. “You don’t want to look.”

He caught my chin with his other hand, pushing me to meet his stare. “Looking will make it worse.”

His eyes were such a wonderful shade of green, the lashes around them dark, and despite the anguish that grew with each throbbing pulse, the idea that flooded my thoughts was that it wasn’t right for a guy to have such long lashes.

“Is it bad?” Yes.Oh! I staggered on my feet as he spoke to Alpha Orion, “If you wish your warlock princess to keep her hand, we must return to the Mystic Rune pack so Seraphina can help her.”

Alpha Orion cursed, and then a frown divided his brow.

“It was foretold her name would be born in fire. I’d imagined that meant Thor’s fire was pushing her to expose her gift, but that would have been an act of dread.

Whereas this…” He paused, eyes glowing bright with zealotry, “This is an act of bravery that will give Philomela a song to be sung for generations.

This is an act the gods will reward.” If this was the gods’ concept of a prize, I prayed I’d never feel the sting of retribution.

Alpha Orion wasn’t through. “Lest the rest of you see the favor the gods show her as a license for apathy, know that if she loses her hand, I’ll cut the fingers off every one of you myself!”

“An answer for everything,” Tristan mumbled under his breath before yelling, “Get the poultice from my saddlebags.” His palm still grasped my chin, holding my face high enough that I couldn’t look down.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered to him, trembling, coursing through me.

“You should be.” He maintained my eyes, and I swore it was the only thing preventing me from shouting.

“All the females in the Mystic Rune pack will curse your name if I lose half my fingers.”

I blinked, then comprehended what he meant. My fangs bared in a snarl over his making light of my misery.

“Or perhaps they’ll praise me for sparing them your grasping hands.” He grinned, his teeth dazzling white against his sun-browned skin.

“You only think that because you haven’t heard of my reputation. After a day or two in Mystic Rune pack, you will know the truth.

All I wanted was to shout and scream and scream, but I pushed myself to say, “The truth women tell other women is not the same truth they tell men.”

His smile grew. “There can be only one truth. All else is falsity.” I managed to sputter out, “Exactly.”

He smiled, but his hold on my face and arm tightened. A second later, I realized why when someone’s hands touched my burns, the anguish rendering the world brilliant white, just Tristan’s grip keeping me standing as I howled and screamed in pain.